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 "We love traveling, so this suits us perfectly. This is a short
demo of a life-long journey together," said Emre, who popped the
question this month after a two-year relationship.
Mine Nur said yes.
Until a few years ago taking the 24-hour train ride for a 1,365
km (850 mile) trip - instead of a plane journey of little over
an hour - would have been considered madness, despite the
ridiculously cheap price of 45 lira ($11).
(Click https://reut.rs/2I1fsYw for a picture package of the
Eastern Express train journey)
Things changed when a group of young Turkish tourists decided to
do away with speed and booked sleeping car reservations on the
train. Naturally, they shared the experience on social media.
From that point onwards, the train became a venue for fun,
adventure, socializing and new experiences.
"Of course this trend has caught our attention on Instagram,
some posts encouraged us to hit the road," said Nurcan Guner,
who has taken the train with a good friend, wearing matching
pyjamas and socks, picked specially for the train ride.
SOARING DEMAND
Nowadays tickets for the train run out a day after they go on
sale, even though the number of cars has more than doubled from
five to 11. What hasn't changed is the leisurely pace of the
train through Turkey's remote eastern hinterland.
The Eastern Express sets off from the capital Ankara every day
for Kars, near the Armenian border. It travels through Anatolian
provinces such as Kayseri, Sivas, Erzincan and Erzurum and
reaches its destination some 24 hours and 30 minutes later.
On the way it passes through farmland, hills and woods, crossing
rivers swollen by snow melting in the spring sunshine and
passing through long dark tunnels carved through mountains.
In 2017 alone, some 300,000 people made the trip, a 40 percent
increase from the previous year.
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The Eastern Express features seated and sleeping coaches with
toilets, a mini refrigerator and a table.
Apart from some locals attracted by the cheap fares, who take the
train for a short distance between stations, most passengers now are
people from far corners of Turkey making the full trip between
Ankara and Kars.
As the references on social media to the train journey proliferated,
must-do rituals emerged for all travelers.
It's now customary to take snaps holding the signs in the carriages
showing the route, decorating compartments with Christmas lights,
candles and balloons, holding big parties in compartments designed
for four only, taking group photos and alighting from the train at
minor stops to dance on the platform.
Burcu Yilmaz, a 37-year-old medical technician, decided to take the
trip after she saw the pictures shared on social media.
She had a hard time finding tickets but managed to get on the train
with three of her friends.
"A most nostalgic experience" she says. "It's a great opportunity to
meet new people, to hold parties in the compartments. You can't do
any of this when traveling any other way."
Not everyone, however, is making their dream journey. University
student Sinan, who decorated the wagon with candles and
rainbow-colored flashing lights for his girlfriend, is sitting alone
in his little room.
"We had this journey planned months ago. But my girlfriend's family
didn't allow her," he said. "I don't like leaving things unfinished,
so I took the train anyway."
(Writing by Ece Toksabay; Editing by Dominic Evans and Gareth Jones)
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